ANINTRODUCTIONTOAGRONOMY


2. Who grows what?

This map shows the most cultivated crop for each country (by harvested area). The most common crops are mainly cereals (wheat, maize, rice, barley and millet), with also a strong share of soybeans in the Americas. Beyond these main crops, some countries are specialized in other crops (such as coffee or oil palm).

As the world’s population increases, there are two ways to increase agricultural production: increase the units of production (number of hectares cultivated or number of animals raised) or increase the productivity per unit (for instance the yield per hectare).